Hey, Bob Costas, how you feeling?
The legendary NBC sportscaster is down to receive the Denver Press Club’s Damon Runyon Award on June 22. It’s the 13th annual dinner for the lucky winner.
Well, maybe not so lucky. Winners of the Damon Runyon Award have a habit of dropping dead. The latest example is David Halberstam. He won the Runyon in 2002 and died Monday in a car accident.
That brings the total to five dead honorees. Passed away are Mike Royko, Herb Caen, Molly Ivins, Ed Bradley and Halberstam. The last three died in the past six months. The first honoree, Jimmy Breslin in 1995, had a stroke – but that was before the award, and he’s hanging in there.
“Eventually everybody (dies),” says Press Club president Bruce Goldberg. “The award is for long-term accomplishments, and we were honored to have them here. But it’s not like the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.”
Maybe it’s worse.
Goldie gold
Goldie Hawn, who lives some of the year near Aspen, came down the hill Monday night to speak at the Unique Lives & Experiences series. (Doris Kearns Goodwin comes to the Buell for the series Tuesday.)
Hawn came on stage wearing brown suede Uggs and a black Prada cocktail dress. Mix ‘n’ match. She carried a pair of Lucite sandals – just to show the crowd that she actually had some nice shoes, but the Uggs were too comfy. She talked for about an hour, did a 30-minute Q&A and then was mobbed backstage by patrons eager to press the flesh with fame.
The last two questions thrown at her: In which movie did she portray a character most like herself? “Seems Like Old Times,” made in 1980. And who, besides longtime partner Kurt Russell, was her favorite leading man? Chevy Chase.
“We had a lot of fun,” she said.
It was a tough Tuesday for Hawn, however. The bad weather spooked her, so she didn’t fly private or commercial to Toronto, reskedding a speech there.
City spirit
Project Angel Heart’s annual Dining Out for Life comes down tonight. More than 300 top Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs restaurants donate 25 percent of their food sales to the service org – which delivers meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Jesse Morreale at Mezcal and Sketch has rounded up some local “celebs” to make drinks, hang out and schmooze for the cause. Look for Patty Calhoun, Lannie Garrett, Jen Schiavone and Devany McNeil at Mezcal; Holly Kylberg, Barry Fey and Pat “Gabby Gourmet” Miller at Sketch. Go to projectangelheart.org. … Boulder babe Jessica Biel is on People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People 2007 roster – in the Stars Without Makeup Section. Says Jessica: “I find that men, in my past, have preferred me without it. They always said, ‘No, take that off.”‘ … CoBiz Biz Bash brings the Doobie Brothers to the Fillmore May 17 to benefit Denver Children’s Home and Urban Peak. … Sez who: “How beautiful you are, now that you love me.” Marlene Dietrich
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at denverpostbloghouse.com/husted.
